The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Trunk call
Age is just a number for 75-year-old swimmer Sandy Galletly, who tells Caroline Lindsay why he holds the sport so dear to his heart
Swimming champion Sandy Galletly tells Caroline Lindsay he has no plans to stop now he’s racing through his 70s.
Watching Sandy Galletly powering through the water at Perth Leisure Pool, it’s hard to believe that this toned athlete is in his mid-70s. Taught to swim by his mum when he was just eight, he showed a real flair for the sport and in the intervening decades he has blossomed from a water baby into a champion swimmer.
Born into an era long before social media, computers and TV dominated children’s lives, Sandy, 75, wasn’t unusual in his love of all things sporty.
“In the 1940s and ‘50s football and swimming were the main activities for children,” he recalls.
“Swimming club night was a Friday and various events were held throughout the year, culminating in the club championships at the end of the season.”
By the time Sandy left Perth High School he was already a champion swimmer and when he joined General Accident (GA) as an insurance underwriter, he managed to keep it up competitively, often representing Scotland at international level and captaining the Scottish Swim Squad.
When he took early retirement after 33 years, he became a pool life guard at GA’s sports complex and worked there until it closed in 2004.
He wasn’t prepared to throw in the competitive swimming towel, however, so he joined Masters Swimming – a special category for people over the age of 25 – when it launched in Scotland in 1980.
“I’ve competed at Scottish, British and US national events, as well as both the world and European championships,” he says proudly.
Over the years he’s racked up 25 world records, 30 European records and won numerous championships.
Sandy’s dedication to his sport means he has the physique of a much younger man and he swears by swimming for keeping fit.
“It’s one of the best forms of exercise you can take,” he says. “It’s a good aerobic exercise and is mostly injuryfree due to the water supporting the body.
“Don’t let it become an obsession though. When I was younger I found training at unsociable hours kept me apart from my friends.”
To stay in tip-top condition, Sandy is often found in the gym, heaving weights,
It’s one of the best forms of exercise you can take... don’t let it become an obsession though
and while other men take up carpet bowls or bridge when they turn 70, he took up karate.
Sandy’s dedication to his sport was recognised in 1998 when he was made a life member of the Scottish Amateur Swim Association.
With his eye on the next generation of Scottish talent, he helps coach up-andcoming youngsters.
And when he’s not training he enjoys walking with his dog, taking his motorbike out for a spin or heading off on holiday with his wife Lesley.
“As long as there’s a pool within walking distance, I’m happy,” he smiles.
www.perthcityswimclub.com